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The social phenomenon that surrounds Guilty Crown is an incredibly ironic twist of fate, but let me get one thing straight, and let those of you who care to know, know, I think Shuu's character was the STRONGEST part of this series. So, now that everyone is gone, I'll go ahead and muse to myself a bit.

Story (7)
Yea, by far, the weakest part of this series is the plot and story progression. But not because I think the pacing if off, rather I don't appreciate the high volume of plot devices that seem to be a fixture throughout the series in order to artificially infuse ... tension and plot twists. Really this show follows a very linear path and deviates for the sole purpose of picking up more clichés along the way. But I can't in good conscious rate the story too low, because the execution is excellent. Sure it was a shallow excuse for a story, but while watching it, as laugh at a primary plot device that is the epitome of groping, the story, you may notice, is put together in all the right places, and it honestly works.

Art (10)
I never really have much to say in this section. It looked great, no weird low budget, filler episodes, and the animation itself was top notch. One thing of note is that the art is actually pretty mature for this series, in the sense that details are not glossed over for the sake of making something look more attractive, even the women are not more moe than your average anime (which isn't saying much unfortunately).

Sound (9)
Another realm I'm too incompetent to actually critique. What I can say, from an amateur's perspective, is that the sound tract is infused well throughout the series, as are the opening and ending sequences. The voices are all pretty well done. I have a qualm with some of the minor characters' voices that don't sound so great, but it's mostly positive.

Character (9)
Getting right into it, Shuu is an excellent character design, just as Shinji from "Evangelion" is an excellent character (you wish there was still a "not helpful" button right?). Shuu is depressed. And no, I'm not talking about being sad, I'm talking about having an actual illness in which your brain is incapable of producing enough Serotonin causing a serious imbalance in the brain. Shuu is just as incapable of not being a lame sh*t as someone with pneumonia is incapable of just expelling all the mucus from their lungs.
I came to this conclusion via amateur diagnosis, so let me try and walk through the symptoms. Shuu seems to be perfectly willing at times to be a total badass, talking himself up like any good anime character would, and then just stops and seems to just not be that Shuu anymore. He has a huge crush on Inori, but he pushes her away with his inaction multiple times, while at other times being an aggressive, dominant male figure. He goes through a similar process with Gai whom he idolizes. In the same way, people who are depressed often push away the people whom they care for the most. The intense mood swings Shuu goes through are also vindictive of his condition. The end of the series, with Shuu becoming this ultra badass, making girls swoon, is the person he would be, if not for his condition.
So there you have it. Shuu is an unlikely hero, an innovative design. But the funny thing is, no matter how much people cry out for innovative ideas, the pioneers of these ideas are often it's first victims. (Yahoo, Nokia, Kodak, ect...)
There are other characters...yea, I can't give this a 10 in good conscience.

Enjoyment (8)
To be perfectly honest, this 8 is actually a good thing. Shuu is supposed to be hard to watch. I'm not some masochist who thought the gore if "Higurashi..." was great to watch '>_>...if it was easy to watch, then the show would not have been successful in it's creation of a depressed character. For real, this was hard to get through at times, but certainly worth the effort.

I think it's an incredible and mildly saddening sight to see the social phenomenon surrounding this series having so many similarities to the families of depressed individuals. Some screaming "he did nothing wrong!" while others walk out the door mid-sentence. This is an excellent series if for no other reason than the fact that Shuu is truly an unlikely hero, and it is innovative in this approach. It even has a good message of, "you can get through this with the help of others," that manga tend to specialize in. I just wish it was surrounded by a better story.

Beautiful...a word often used in the realms of the arts, except of course in anime. Anime is often comical, action packed, suspenseful, mysterious, heart-warming...but it is rare when one can truly describe an anime as being beautiful.

Usagi Drop is that anime. A show that, from the very beginning, knows exactly what it is, and is completely unapologetic about it. It's the video game without any combat, the movie without the almost naked woman, the novel where the main character is not the most important. Usagi drop breaks down all boundaries by attempting to break none. Tension, real tension, over tiny bumps in the road, and ... substantive emotional feedback in the most mundane circumstances is what makes Usagi Drop stand tall above all other slice of life anime, and most others for that matter.

Story 10/10
Simplicity is the name of the game. Written out, the plot of Usagi drop would be an advanced kindergarten book, but that doesn't matter. No ridiculous plot twists, just an anime which attempts to shine a light on the inherit beauty of kindness, children, and life. But that is not to say the anime is too slow, rather it is paced perfectly throughout the episodes.

Art 10/10
Nothing to say here. The art style was different, but it fit well with the theme of the anime.

Sound 10/10
The sound track, like the story is simple. The voices and acting is well executed and directed.

Characters 10/10
I will only address the two main characters here. Daikichi is written excellently, he is nonchalant about most everything, but is easily freaked out by new things that Rin does or new experiences with Rin. Like a real person, he isn't some hell spawn constantly begging for the audience to feel for him, he's just a guy living an almost normal life.

Rin is written like a child, and while it's strange to say, her, as a normal child, is incredibly refreshing. She isn't a target for emotional outpouring, she's just a child who behaves like a child. She's the weird combination of shy and outgoing that children tend to be.

Like the story, the characters are written without anything particularly impressive, if you don't count behaving like humans without seeming impossibly cool or outrageously clueless impressive in an anime.

Enjoyment 10/10
Usagi Drop is just a good watch, and it is very easy to watch....I gave it a 10, so I obviously enjoyed everything...

I have never wanted to give an anime a 10 more so then after watching Gurren Lagann, and so I freaking did! Who the hell do you think I am?!

To be clear, this anime has it's flaws, but it embraces them and doesn't try to hide them, in fact, it often parades them around as if saying "and what are you going to do about it?!" It's an anime that has a deeper meaning, and shoves it down your throat every chance it gets, but it is also a very mature message and takes the time to properly build that message and it's characters. So ... let's break it down.

Story: 10/10
The anime does a tremendous job developing a worthwhile story that is both incredibly enjoyable and also a valuable life lesson. The plot is shot with holes like material being born literally ex nihilo, or later on, quantum theory very terribly (and wrongly) explained, but then it shoves your face in each hole and asks how it is important to the development of the story...and you really don't have an answer so you shut up and wet your pants in awe.

Art: 8/10
For the most part, the art is beautifully done, and the proportions are all good (mostly) but it becomes obvious when there is an episode they don't particularly care about, or a scene that was rushed. So I can't honestly give this section a 10. That said, when the art is good (it usually is) it's great, down to the small details.

Sound: 10/10
I watched the dubbed version, but I had subtitles, and I have to say, the dub was done remarkably well. There were a couple lines I can remember where I wish they had kept to the original words, but that is entirely excusable. The voices were all perfect fits for the characters, the sound effects were fittingly overdone, and the emotions were well expressed. The opening and endings were also both very good and well choreographed; they were very fitting and set the mood well.

Character: 9/10
I instantly fell in love with Kamina. He was the perfect overbearing older brother type. My love for Simon came slower, but his development was handled well, not so slow as to become painful, but not so fast that i don't have time to care. Yoko was kind of in the middle, it took me a few episodes to warm up to her, but she proved herself invaluable as well (being a tsundere helped too). My only qualm with the characters was that more could have been done with Yoko and a few other key characters, but no harm, no foul.

Enjoyment: 10/10
My beard danced when they were happy, and my chest hairs receded when they were sad. I don't think I have seen a show with such a direct line to my manly heart like this one. When they were depressed, I almost wanted to stop watching, and when they weren't I couldn't put it down.

But seriously, watch this show
Side effects may include: premature puberty, beard growth in women, increased sperm count in men, increased sperm count in women, and death.

The overshadowed younger sister always has it pretty rough dosen't she? Having to live up to the phenomenal name of her older sister, never quite given a break. Unless she breaks away, becomes something completely different, and writes her own story. That is who "Ryuusei no Gemini" is.

Story: 9/10
Being just 12 episodes, she wasn't quite able to fill in all of the holes presented when she first came into existence. Certain questions remained unanswered, and evolution was distorted in order to keep face (I'll explain that in a sec). But don't get me wrong, the anime didn't present plot lines and then abandon them, the ... holes are only present within the gap between the two series. Overall the plot within the show is actually very well done, it relates a tale of a girl who never wanted the spotlight, but got it anyways, of her struggle to justify her own existence, of a broken man seeking a new purpose, of a child who never got to be one. It's almost as if the anime itself is arguing it's existence through it's story.
I expect the biggest problem people seem to have is that Hei isn't the main protagonist, but you're just going to have to get over that love affair, he got his season already!

Art: 10/10
Outstanding. Just as good as the first. I expect one of the reasons many sequels stink is because they are unwilling to have a half season, and have remarkably lower budget that the original. Not this anime, she seems to have sacrificed the concept of a full season for a more complete feeling about the anime. A very good decision on the part of the staff.

Sound: 10/10
My personal preference is always the English Dubbed (provided the voices fit). I can't comment on the original Japanese audio, as I never heard it. The Voices are perfect, all of the original cast is still there, and Suou is played perfectly.

Character: 9/10 (NOTE: Don't worry references to the first series aren't big enough to be spoilers!)
So here it is, evolution, as explained in the first series is occurring among Contractors and Dolls. For the series to include Hei and justify Suou's personality, they seem to have misrepresented the process that takes hundred-thousands to millions of years. But Evolution occurs in steps, so it is still somewhat believable, and there's a certain plot device to slightly justify the hasty change. That there is the only flaw among the characters, however. Everything else is executed wonderfully. The back stories of each of the protagonists, Hei, Suou, and July (despite what the MAL page would have you believe), are done remarkably well, they are able to tie many loose ends and answer many questions left open by the first series, not that they needed answering!

Enjoyment: 9/10
Now I definitely saw a great many things I would do differently, but that was before I began thinking of this series as a stand alone arc. It relates to the main only by it's characters and premise, everything else is different. Realize that and stop comparing this anime to the original, and you will come to really enjoy it.

Give her a chance and that younger sister might just surprise you!

The tragedy of Icarus, so artistically applied in this series, comes to mind whenever I think of" Fullmetal Alchemist". A series that broke away from the original story, and generated an eclipsing fan base, only to be smacked down by the steady hand of reality. You might hate me for saying this, but allow me to justify myself.

Story: 6/10
What might have been...the story was great, initially. It sought to take a story that was still in development, change it, and make something new out of it, in other words Alchemy! It is intriguing, inquisitive, full of great action, while not failing to lose track of ... it's philosophical motive of being... for the most part.
Unfortunately this story has the same failing as "the Matrix" trilogy. The dilemma in the Matrix was if you know one world to be reality, then suddenly, that reality is pulled out from under your feet and you find a new reality, how can you ever be sure you are truly experiencing reality, since you couldn't tell before. Of course they were completely unable to answer such a question so they shifted to pure action and romance...
The same thing happened with FMA. They asked What is Alchemy if the law of equivalent exchange can be bent, or even broken! Then similarly could not answer such a question so they shifted to pure action and romance. The dilemma they proposed began to eat away at what was left of their plot, and there you have it, the tragedy of Icarus.

Art: 10/10
Outstanding art. The story truly bothered me but that didn't stop me from loving the animation and wonderful (especially considering the time) effects. The characters are well made and backgrounds are not at all constant.

Sound: 10/10
Both subbed and dubbed voices are good, I enjoyed the dubbed better. The Openings are both very enjoyable. The endings are so-so, but they make up for that with special endings. Such as plot changing events having their own special endings, very well done. The sound track is perfect for the series and fits everything well.

Character: 8/10
The brothers are done perfectly, splendid job on them. Winry and The old lady are done great as well. My problem lies with the Homunculi, their entire reason for bearing the name they do is cut out of the series, not to mention sloth is non existent, replaced by a homunculus who is definitely not slothful...7 sins remember, not 6. I don't mind them being changed around a bit, but I wish it was a bit more coherent. Another issue I have is Primary supports seem to simply disappear, and reappear whenever it seems most convenient, without even a plot device. What i really did appreciate in this series is the role of villain is spread far and wide, which is difficult to do, but they pulled it off well.

Enjoyment: 9/10
Despite all of the plot holes I really did enjoy watching this series. and admittedly I didn't see them until I watched Brotherhood. So despite all this criticism, it definitely is worth a watch if you like shonen, and are into science, a little. The majors like me should stay away, you'll end up picking out flaws like this and ruin the series for yourself.

Truly a tragedy of a series...but know that I've graded it much harsher than I normally would, because of it's undeserved (in my opinion) rise to fame.

A tail of horror and suspense, of intellectual constructs and supernatural phenomenon, of friendship and family, of conspiracies and deities, of murder and self preservation. "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" has it all. In 26 episodes and 6 stand-alone arcs it manages to squeeze in all this in vicious, gory detail. While at he same time, dedicates much of the anime to character development and story telling.

Story: 10/10
...And what a story it is! As afore mentioned the story is told in stand-alone arcs, that is, they don't seem to be all that related to one another, and one could exist without the others. Then at ... the end, the writers manage to find a way to wrap all of this up, the story arcs that seemed too distant to be part of the same show finally make sense, and that in and of itself is rather gruesome as well. But that wasn't enough to satiate the bloodthirsty appetite of these writers. On top of the gore they had to include psychological complications in the cast that sends shivers down your spine, combining the gore and the mental breakdowns they managed to create a gruesome tale envied by the likes of Frankenstein (reference to the original book).
But gore isn't all this anime has to offer, plot twists, despite being limited by it's stand-alone arc style, stand on par with (or at least near) "Baccano!" and "Durarara!!"

Art: 9/10
The screen effects are beyond it's years, this anime manages to pull of stunning visuals not found in anime around 2006 outside of the budget monsters (Inuyasha and such). The blood is realistic, though some wounds, like a slit throat, are not shown. It's strange as they will show entrails, but not a bashed-in skull. Still the art style and the non excessive amount of blood gives the violence a very realistic sort of feeling.
Now character art is where my complaint lies. Rika and Satako's designs seem appropriate, and despite myself, I find them rather cute. Rena's personality argues her design, so no problems there. However Keiichi, Shion, and Mion's designs are way out of line in my opinion. It seems the art was dedicated a bit too much towards the blood and not enough on designs for the main cast. However, the story just dragged me right past that by the second episode and the art no longer bothered me.

Sound: 10/10
Being children one and all the voices of the cast are all very similar in Japanese. In English, however, the voices differ quit e bit, so I personally prefer the dubbed. That said the characters personalities and designs are all quite different so the voices aren't a nuisance in Japanese either. The opening is beautifully choreographed, with an eerie chill that will send shivers up and down your spine. The ending is symbolic, but the song seems strangely misplaced, likely to try and attract viewers, but no points lost there. The soundtrack suits this anime perfectly, interrupted periodically by the call of a nocturnal cicada (higurashi), or a crow seeking out blood.

Character: 10/10
The characters are beautifully developed throughout the series, all of them. Even those who get less screen time, the main six (Keiichi, Mion, Shion, Rena, Rika, and Satako), while shrouded in mystery, all have well established personalities, pasts, and are all likable. This show will twist and turn you sensibilities as it portrays it's characters as serial murders one minute and pitiful victims the next. Or perhaps at the same time, the viewer is left to fend for him/herself as any predictability is slowly stripped from his/her hands.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Truly not intended for anyone who can't take some rather messy details or frighteningly unstable psychology. But I believe anyone would be able to enjoy it, just mentally prepare yourself before hand. With just enough lighthearted comedy in the mix to keep the flavor of this show changing, you'll be anything but bored.

You're not gonna have time to sit on the edge of your seat, I suggest you take a comfortable position now because once you start you face will be glued to the screen. I suggest you periodically make sure you've remembered to breathe.

I usually warn people to not have too high expectations of any anime, like don't expect an anime to change your life, because if you do it will ultimately fall short of such expectations. Since "Clannad"(2007) is more popular than "Kanon"(2006), know that the anime are about the same, but also quite different, it's likely you've seen "Clannad" already. Be sure to remember the more you blow something up the more likely it is to fall short of what you want. That Said... a Kanon is a type of music, stemming from Germany, that employs a single simple rhythm, as the song progresses new instruments ... are added harmoniously playing the same rhythm, creating layers of music. I'm sure you've heard one, you just don't know it.

Story: 10/10
A compelling tale of an ordinary young man surrounded by the extraordinary. The story is nothing if not one of experience. It is propelled by Yuuichi's hero complex, that is, his need to help others, and is kept enjoyable by his sarcastic and often times delinquent style of humor. The plot is complex, uncharacteristically so for a love story, and employs twists that are above it's genre. Overall the story is well layered, as the title suggests, and beautifully expressed.

Art: 9/10
The visuals in this show are satisfying. It is almost always in snow, and the scenery is wonderfully drawn. The characters are well drawn, the male ones anyways. My only problem with the art is the females are all identical, which is typical for an anime portraying a host of female leads, but it is still sloppy. The eyes are so massive on the females that no room is left on the face to express differing traits. That said, they are rather charming.

Sound: 10/10
Both subbed and dubbed voices are good, I suggest dubbed though, since there is no real visual dissimilarities between the females, the voices vary much more in English than in Japanese, which makes it a bit easier for the viewer. Both opening and ending themes are well choreographed and fit the anime well, not my thing though. The opening is a rather sad song which reflects the overall feel of the show. The background music is perfect for this anime, it amplifies the scenes well.

Character: 10/10
This show features a Great, well-developed cast. While the families of the characters remain an overall mystery, they are unnecessary. The story employs stand alone characters which adds to the overall sad feeling of the show. There was a single, noticeable, apparent inconsistency at the very end concerning Ayu's family. Though whether it was an inconsistency or a simple misunderstanding on my part eludes me.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I usually don't go for the sappy kind of shows, but "Kanon" is a new breed of sappy, enlisting mystery, darkness, and a healthy dose of lighthearted comedy, this show truly is in a league of it's own. The running jokes are not overused, and there's even some nice action!

But like I sometimes say, ok maybe this is the second time, Go in expecting to change your life and you'll be disappointed, but go in just willing to have fun and open minded, and you'll love it.

"Chrome Shelled Regios" is not a how-to guide to surviving the apocalypse. It's set in an apocalypse sure, but that isn't the point to this anime. If you look at it that way, you'll just end up wasting your life watching this. This is a story of people who are called to duty, due to their skills, but they want to make something more of their lives. A story of defiance, and of sacrifice, it just happens to be set in a post-apocalyptic world.

Story: 8/10
Wonderfully played story. As I said earlier it of defying ones so called destiny, but it's also about serving the greater ... good at ones own expense. These two paradoxical themes intertwine themselves within the cast bringing complications to the story that were really enjoyable. There is also an undertone of a love story that spreads itself out wide, and while it does affect the cast, the writers don't allow it to take over and become the primary theme, like the pitfall of so many other anime. Beautifully done story.
My only concern in regards to the story is it often times was all too predictable. It never claimed to be a mystery, but a few more plot twists couldn't hurt.

Art: 10/10
Great affects, dazzling color, and wonderful symmetry. The cast is drawn exquisitely, no one feature is too overbearing, and all main characters and primary supports are in no way generic. The contaminoids, who are supposed to be torn and twisted, look torn and twisted, rather than a dog with an exceptionally large wart. The action sequences are great to watch, the frame count must be on par with DBZ. Visual candy is all there.

Sound: 10/10
The sound is only 10/10 for the English dubbed version. Don't watch the original, the pitiful excuse for English in "The Legend of Regios" will make you want to vomit. That said, the dub is great. Felli's voice actress, who actually has a rather sweet voice, pulls off the depressed Felli beautifully and brings a human element to her character the show was aiming for anyway. The opening and ending themes are fun to watch and listen to, well choreographed opening, really fun to watch. The soundtrack is what is most impressive, varying from high tempo action scenes, to slow paced dramatic moments, the sound is all its own, nothing generic here.

Character: 10/10
Well developed characters, the protagonists have nice crisp story lines that reveal themselves in time and the secondary characters are developed quite well as well. Mystery hangs over many characters, but it is well played and all that the viewer needs to know, they know. Also the past of the protagonists isn't just slammed in your face all at once. As the story progresses, the characters past is revealed bit by bit, which is impressive and uncharacteristic for an anime of a single season.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Truly a fun show to watch, the action will keep your eyes glued to the screen, and the comedy will keep you laughing.

Overall the show feels a lot like Final Fantasy VII, minus the Sephiroth and black dude with a gun. That may be because Layfon is just a brunette Cloud. But seriously, watch the dubbed version, though it may be hard to find.

You know sometimes it's nice to just kick up your feet an act totally brain dead for a while. If you agree watch this show, I'm pretty sure It'll cause ADD in younger kids. Honestly, a shonen if there ever was one.

Story: 8/10
Every episode there has to be some kind of ridiculously massive fight scene in which there's just no way the characters could possibly pull through... then something happens and low and behold he won. Or at least it appears so, but there are several battles the main character actually loses, badly. The constant fight scenes make the story impossible to tell, but ... due to the epicosity of the arcs and massiveness of budget the story is quite clear. It's a little cheesy and often overdone but it doesn't get old because there's just so much going on all the time, one just seems to become attached to the characters. Honestly for plot just consider this a remake of Dragon Ball Z, those of you old enough might remember a similar complex between yourselves and watching DBZ on Toonami... did you know Mexico got it before us? WTF!

Art: 9/10
The visual candy in this show is stunning and character designs are quite charming. I'm not sure who they were trying to attract with the massive bosoms though, they seem out of place...I guess it's for the horny teens? The effects are amazing as well. The character designs are all generic but what can you expect from a shonen of this caliber. Though I do appreciate the differences in the faces of both male and female characters. The color is vivid and pleasant to look at.

Sound: 10/10
The voices are wonderful and fit the characters beautifully in Japanese. The dubbed version is alright but some voices leave something to be desired like Levy instead of sounding sweet (jap) sounds like a surfer (eng). The sound track is all it's own, I was rather impressed by it's originality. The opening themes are fun to watch and illustrate the show well. I actually enjoyed watching some of the ending themes as well, also good.

Character: 10/10
Be aware, the character designers were geniuses, you'll find yourself growing more and more attached to the characters as the show goes on, to the point where you'll be holding back tears when something devastating happens, or even something extremely heartwarming. Truly the characters are a thing of wonder.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Really a fun show to watch. Be sure you're not holding anything sharp while you watch it, I'm serious, you'll be totally brain dead by the end of the episode... in kind of a good way. It's an anime that you really don't have to think about.

It's a sappy version of DBZ, that's all there is to it. Viewer discretion advised.

While watching this I couldn't help but notice somethings, like how the plot to this series seems like it takes bites out of bleach, FMA bro, and fairy tail. Honestly it seems like a combination of a whole bunch of popular anime... but then again most popular anime do. Regardless the show seems to acknowledge that fact, spit in its face, and continue moving on.

Story: 9/10
Like I said before it seems like the story borrows from many a source, but that's no reason to deface it, nor over look it. The plot is brilliantly done, setting its own pace in regard to how important certain ... parts of the story are. It isn't held down by having to please action hungry little kids by having a battle every chance it gets. This very reason is why I do not consider this anime to be a shonen. It takes its sweet time when developing characters in depth. The last fight scene in the ending battle was a bit too short in my opinion, but other than that I see no problems.

Art: 10/10
Outstanding effects, and stunning visuals. the protagonists and even the supporting cast all are drawn differently which says a lot for their artistic genius. Rather than just pick a base model and draw everyone accordingly, each character is an individual. The scenes are realistic and not in the least repetitive, really well thought out.

Sound: 10/10
Both opening themes are amazing, though I favor the first. Both ending themes are ok (the first is some kind of Japanese N Sync, the second sounds like Brittney Spears) just a grab for attention by using more popular bands rather than meaningful songs... no matter though. The sound track seems a bit borrowed, but it is utilized well throughout the show. The voices fit the characters well, nicely done. No dubbed version is available yet, but seeing how its so popular, its just a matter of time.

Character: 9/10
very nicely developed characters. The series does its characters justice developing them at different paces and in different ways as well. The supporting characters are developed quite nicely as well. The cast often times grows together but even then they develop in different ways rather than a generic growth for all of them. Realizing different things while all together. There is great mystery involving many characters and the show does well to keep it a mystery until it wants you to know.
My only problem with the cast is, I would really like to know more about Fujumoto. The dude was such a badass! Alas it was not to be...

Enjoyment: 10/10
Action sequences that will leave you begging for more, relationships that will keep you smiling, and grievances that may just touch your heart. The show employs few twists, but when they come, you'll have no idea what hit you.

I haven't read the manga, but I heard it goes beyond this point. So it is very likely there will be more to come, but don't hold your breath. I just hope they don't turn this into another shonen disaster (naruto, bleach, one piece, ect...)